Damn Near Perfect
by Cerih
Summary: Christmas Eve in Cardiff and nothing goes quite according to plan. Still, despite slush and smoke alarms and burnt milk, things may yet turn out okay. Ianto/Jack, Ianto/Tosh friendship.


Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood.

Author's notes: My contribution towards Christmas stories. Gmariam gave me the prompt of hot chocolate and this is what happened. It was meant to be canon, but it veered off a little towards the end.

Thanks to Gmariam for the idea and for her feedback, and as always, thanks to Darcy58 for betaing this for me!

Happy Christmas everyone!

* * *

Damn Near Perfect

"Tosh, have you seen Jack?"

It was early evening on Christmas Eve and Ianto had just emerged from one of the Hub's many tunnels. His question made Tosh look up from the alien artefact she had been examining. She tilted her head to the side as she thought.

"No, I don't recall seeing him recently," she replied.

"I can't seem to find him anywhere." Ianto frowned.

"I did see him after lunch," Tosh remembered. "He was headed for the garage, muttering to himself."

"I guess wherever he has gone has detained him all afternoon," Ianto said. "It's a shame. I'm just about to head home and I had hoped to wish him happy Christmas before I left."

"Aren't you going to see each other tomorrow?" Tosh asked, surprise evident in her voice. Their relationship was no longer a secret and the whole team knew that Jack had taken to spending some of his nights with Ianto in his flat.

"We've not really talked about Christmas." Ianto shrugged. "I assumed that he would do whatever it is that he usually does on Christmas Day and I expect I'll have to make an obligatory appearance at my sister's tomorrow. No doubt she'll try to set me up with a neighbour or a friend again." He shuffled his feet awkwardly at the thought.

"You could always take Jack with you tomorrow," Tosh suggested with a sly grin.

"Jack meeting my family? That's one disaster I'd rather avoid, thank you very much." Ianto made a face. "Besides, it would be rather odd if I turned up with my boss."

"Perhaps," Tosh conceded. "But it would be less odd if you turned up with your boyfriend."

"Jack's not my… I mean, we're not a couple. Or at least we've never really talked about it." Ianto coughed, clearly embarrassed.

Tosh rolled her eyes. "Now there's a conversation that's clearly long overdue."

"Maybe, but since I can't even find him, we're unlikely to have it tonight," Ianto said with a sad smile.

"If he comes back, I'll let him know that you were looking for him," Tosh offered.

"Thanks, but don't worry about it." Ianto shook his head. "I'll just see him after Christmas."

"If you're sure," she hesitated.

"I'm sure." He nodded and then firmly steered the conversation away from him and Jack. "Are you spending Christmas with your family?"

"Yes. I was just going to finish what I was doing and then head there. I've got everything I need in the car."

"Good." He smiled. "In that case, have a lovely Christmas." Ianto leaned in to kiss her cheek. As he did so, he placed a small, neatly-wrapped present in front of her.

"Ianto, you shouldn't have!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, I should," he argued. "But you're not allowed to open it until tomorrow."

"You're no fun," Tosh complained, but she could not hide her grin. She reached over to her bag and pulled out a small gift. "Here."

"Thank you. And you shouldn't have either!" He kissed her cheek a second time. "Well, I'm off. Drive safely."

"You too. Good night, Ianto, and happy Christmas."

"Happy Christmas, Tosh."

He exited the main area of the Hub, putting on his scarf and winter coat as he took the lift up to the tourist office. A glance out of the window made him groan.

"Oh great…"

It had snowed the night before and even in the morning when Ianto had driven to work there had still been an occasional flake floating down. During the day, as was often the case, the temperature had risen enough to turn all the beautiful snow into thick slush. A continuous drizzle of rain ensured that the weather conditions only continued to worsen.

With an annoyed huff Ianto pushed open the door and stepped outside. The damp air hit him straight away and the chill seemed to go straight to his bones. He tried to avoid the thickest areas of slush as he walked towards his car, grateful that he had not parked too far from the Hub. He was glad to get out of the rain as he slipped into his car. If he set the heaters to maximum, Ianto planned, he should be nice and warm by the time he got home. Unfortunately, when he started the car, the engine spluttered weakly a couple of times and then died. Ianto let out a string of curses and tried again to start the car. This time the engine made no sound at all.

Ianto leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Just what he needed to finish a day that had not been great to start with. Normally this would not be a problem, as he would simply borrow the SUV or ask Jack to give him a lift home. But wherever Jack had disappeared off to, he had taken the SUV with him. He could ask Tosh for help, but that would make her late for getting to her parents and she was still working. Both Owen and Gwen had left earlier. A quick look around the Plass made it clear that finding a taxi would be nearly impossible. He could still ring Jack, of course, but his pride wanted to sort this out on his own. He pulled out his phone and started making calls.

Half an hour later, he disconnected yet another call and cursed softly. The weather conditions had wreaked havoc across the southern Wales and as a result no towing company or garage could do anything about his car until the following morning at the earliest. His only viable options were calling Jack or walking home. Bracing himself for the misery to come, Ianto pushed the car door open and stepped into the drizzle again. Fortunately he did not live far, but walking through slush and rain was not how he wanted to spend Christmas Eve.

By the time he approached his flat, he was tired and unhappy. The damp air seemed to seep through his layers of clothing, making him colder than he really ought to be after a fairly brisk walk. What annoyed him most, however, was the state of his brand new leather shoes. They were soaked through and Ianto was not sure they could be salvaged even with a great deal of care. He grumbled to himself darkly as he headed for the front door, but a glance upwards halted his progress.

The lights were on in his flat.

Ianto's hand automatically went to his gun, hidden under his coat. He loosened it in its holster, but did not pull it out, not in public.

_It could be Jack_, he thought. _But what would Jack be doing in my flat?_

His misery forgotten, Ianto was tense and alert when he entered the building. As he climbed the stairs to the first floor, he drew his weapon, but kept it hidden between his leg and the wall, in case any of his neighbours made a sudden appearance. He listened at his front door for a long moment, but could detect no sounds coming from inside. Moving as quietly as he could, Ianto unlocked the door and eased it open just enough to slip inside. He had clearly not been quiet enough, for as soon as he shut the door, Jack appeared in the hallway.

"Ianto." Jack smiled, although there was a hint of nervousness on his face.

"Jack, what are you doing here?" Ianto asked as he put his gun away.

"You thought I was an intruder, huh?" Jack deflected the question.

"What was I supposed to think?" Ianto huffed as he removed his sodden coat and looked mournfully at the state of his shoes. "I wasn't expecting anyone. Granted, you have a key to my place, but I was under the impression that it was for emergencies only."

"Maybe I needed a kiss really badly? That counts as an emergency, right?" Jack winked, trying to lighten the mood.

Ianto just gave Jack a weary look and walked into his bedroom. He felt Jack's eyes on his back as he pulled off his damp clothes, but for once he had enough sense not to offer to help undress Ianto. The silence grew strained as Ianto opened and closed drawers and wardrobe doors with a little more force than was necessary. Once he was dressed in jeans and his favourite red hoodie, and his feet were covered with two pairs of warm socks, he felt a little better. He stepped into his bathroom to hang up the damp clothes, and then with a sideways glance at Jack returned to the hallway to deal with his shoes. Jack followed him and watched as he worked, shuffling his feet awkwardly.

"I thought you'd be home earlier," Jack said to break the uncomfortable silence between them.

"My car broke down, so I had to walk," Ianto explained, speaking to his shoes.

"You should have called and I would have picked you up."

"Didn't know where you were," Ianto pointed out, his tone carefully neutral.

"You could have asked me," Jack said, frowning.

"Didn't want to pry. I figured you were doing something private."

"I was," Jack conceded. "But I still would have told you something."

"I'll know for next time then," Ianto replied evenly.

The awkward silence returned and once again it was Jack who ended it.

"I made hot chocolate," Jack offered a touch hesitantly, motioning towards the kitchen.

"You made hot chocolate?" Ianto repeated, trying to keep the scepticism out of his voice.

"Yes, from scratch, since I know you prefer it that way," Jack said, his words a little rushed. "I boiled the milk in a pan and used real cocoa powder and unrefined dark cane sugar and I added in a little bit of cardamom."

"Thank you Jack," Ianto murmured, very surprised. "That's very thoughtful of you."

Jack beamed at him and took his hand to lead him to the kitchen. Ianto's eyes widened slightly at the mess that had been made of his kitchen, although he did have to concede that Jack had at least tried to tidy up after himself. It was not Jack's fault if their concepts of tidiness were rather different. He tried not to stare at the smear of cocoa powder on one of the cabinet doors.

Jack poured them each a mug of hot chocolate from the pan he had been keeping warm on low heat on the hob, and then added a generous helping of mini marshmallows and chocolate sprinkles to each. He offered one mug to Ianto, who wrapped his cold fingers around it gratefully and took a tentative sip.

Ianto's eyes widened just a fraction before he got his expression under control. He swallowed and then said with a small smile: "It's hot. But good."

Jack's face fell and he put his own mug down without touching it. "Sometimes you are a terrible liar, Ianto."

"Sorry." Ianto gave him a sheepish smile. "I do appreciate the thought, though."

"So what's wrong with it?" Jack asked with an air of resignation.

"Did you burn the milk?" Ianto queried.

"Only a little."

"I can taste it." And you put far too much sugar in it."

"I'm sorry," Jack apologised, looking genuinely annoyed that Ianto had not liked his hot chocolate.

"Don't worry," Ianto assured him. "As I said, I'm touched that you tried."

Jack winced a little at the genuine surprise in Ianto's voice and dropped his eyes to stare at his sock-covered feet. Ianto did not allow shoes in the house. Ianto also realised the implication behind his words and raked a hand through his hair. Why did this have to be so damn awkward?

"Why don't you go sit down and I'll make us a fresh batch of hot chocolate? I might as well, since all the ingredients are out," Ianto suggested, trying to ease some of the tension in the room. He turned away without waiting for a response, intending to start by clearing up the remains of the mess Jack had left behind. Jack's hand on his arm stopped him and he looked up in surprise.

"I'd like to stay and watch," Jack said with a hint of uncertainty. "I can help, if you'll let me."

"Why?" The question rose to his lips unbidden and it was Ianto's turn to wince as the almost undetectable note of accusation it carried.

"So that I might learn how to do it properly," Jack replied softly. "So the next time I make you hot chocolate I can ensure that you'll like it."

Ianto drew in a sharp breath at the implications of Jack's words. His icy eyes thawed a little and he gave Jack a broad smile.

"Sure, I'll teach you." He nodded. "But first we need to tidy up a little."

"I'll do the washing up," Jack volunteered.

While Jack tackled the dishes, Ianto cleared the ingredients to one side and wiped the counters. They worked in comfortable silence, much of the earlier tension having been eased by Jack's heartfelt words. Ianto then made a start on the hot chocolate, explaining each step along the way. Jack asked the occasional question, but he was otherwise content to let Ianto take the lead. Soon they each had a fresh mug of hot chocolate, again topped with marshmallows and chocolate sprinkles; and Jack was more than happy to acknowledge that Ianto's talents with hot beverages extended far beyond coffee.

"Now that's done, why don't we go sit down?" Ianto suggested.

"Okay," Jack agreed, trying to hide the small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Ianto led the way to his small lounge, and as he stepped through the door he gasped in astonishment. The furniture had been subtly rearranged to make room for a real Christmas tree standing by the window. It was adorned with blue lights and glimmering silver baubles. There was a Christmas themed throw on the sofa and a series of Santa candles were burning on the coffee table. Ianto noted with some amusement that Jack had even hung a sprig of mistletoe above the sofa.

Watching Ianto's reaction carefully, Jack was trying to determine whether it was happy or angry shock he was feeling.

"What's all this?" Ianto asked slowly, covering the Christmas decorations with one sweeping motion of his hand. "And is this what you've been doing all day?"

"Yes, it is. And it's Christmas, Ianto," Jack replied.

"Well, yes, I can see that. Perhaps a better questions would be why all this?"

Jack rested his free hand against Ianto's lower back and guided him towards the sofa to sit down as he explained:

"I noticed a couple of weeks ago when I last spent the night here that you didn't have any decorations up. You seemed happy enough to help Gwen and Tosh decorate the Hub, but here – nothing. I thought I'd surprise you and bring a little Christmas spirit to your home."

"There didn't see to be much point in putting anything up here," Ianto said softly as he leaned back against the cushions and sipped his drink. "I mean, I'm hardly home anyway and why go through all the hassle just for myself?"

"It wouldn't have to be just for you," Jack murmured, not quite meeting Ianto's eyes.

Ianto looked up from his mug sharply at Jack's utterly unexpected words. He reached over and tentatively laid his hand on Jack's knee. Jack's hand moved to cover his and their fingers entwined on their own accord.

"Do you mean…" Ianto hesitated. "I mean, we never said anything about Christmas…"

"I always just assumed…" It was Jack's turn to struggle to find the right words. "I mean, you go to your sister's and I didn't think you'd want me…"

"I didn't think you'd be interested," Ianto started and then let out a nervous laugh. "Perhaps we ought to do this the right way and actually talk to each other instead of just assuming things?"

"Let's." Jack smiled.

"Jack, do you have any plans for this Christmas?" Ianto asked the question that he had really wanted to voice for weeks now.

"None, assuming that the Rift predictions are correct and everything stays quiet," Jack replied. It was his turn to ask a question that had been on his mind constantly for some time. "Would you spend this Christmas with me?"

"I'd love to." Ianto grinned, but then a small frown appeared on his face. "But I'm supposed to be at my sister's tomorrow, as you said. I guess I could tell her that something came up at work and just drop by to deliver everyone's Christmas presents."

"Would she be terribly offended if you brought a guest along?" Jack asked, his voice full of uncertainty.

"She's always telling me to bring someone. I never do and then she tries to arrange a blind date for me with one of her single friends." Ianto winced at the thought. He then glanced at Jack with a questioning look. "You'd go as my boss?"

"No, not as your boss," Jack said adamantly. "I'm not here now as your boss. But I could go as your…boyfriend. Or partner, or whichever way you would you want to introduce me."

Jack's eyes flickered across to gauge Ianto's reaction to the words they had never before used about one another.

"I didn't think you went for labels like that." Ianto looked at Jack uncertainly.

"I could be persuaded to make an exception," Jack murmured with a small smile. "But only for you."

"You really want to go? As my date?"

"I really want to be introduced to your family as your date," Jack confirmed, his smile growing wider.

"Rhi is going to freak out," Ianto mused and then hastily added: "But in a good way! She'll be pleased that I've found someone." He hesitated for a moment. "Her husband, Johnny, though, he can be a bit of an arse at times."

"I'm sure we can handle him, handle them all," Jack reassured Ianto. "Together." He lifted their entwined hands up so that he could lay kisses across Ianto's knuckles.

"Together." Ianto echoed Jack's word, a wide grin spreading across his face.

"Oh, I do have one more surprise!" Jack suddenly remembered and gave Ianto a quick grin.

"Jack, you've already done so much," Ianto protested, although he was rather curious about what else Jack had thought of. Part of him would not have been surprised if Jack had produced a live reindeer from behind the sofa.

Jack lifted a bag hidden by the side of the sofa and started pulling out supplies from it while he spoke:

"Right, here's where your modern flat rather complicated my plans. In an ideal world we would have spent the evening in front of a roaring fire, naked of course," he winked at Ianto, who rolled his eyes, "roasting chestnuts and toasting marshmallows. But as you're no doubt aware, you don't have a fireplace. So I had to improvise a little."

During his explanation, Jack had laid out on the coffee table a nut selection to make up for the lack of chestnuts, several bags of marshmallows, a set of metal barbeque skewers, a bottle of mulled wine and a gas stove designed for camping. Ianto eyed the last item with fair amount of suspicion, as he was fairly certain it was not designed for indoor use.

"Are you sure that's going to be safe to use inside?" Ianto asked and pointed at the stove.

"It'll be fine," Jack assured him and handed him a bag of marshmallows. "I mean, what could possibly go wrong?"

"Would you like the list in an alphabetical order?" Ianto grumbled as he opened the bag and helped himself to a strawberry flavoured sweet.

Jack simply grinned and set up the stove on the coffee table. He lit the flame using one of the Santa candles and then speared three marshmallows with a skewer. Deciding that he might as well enjoy the ride before something went horribly wrong, Ianto filled a second skewer and started toasting the marshmallows over the flame.

They might have got away with it, had Jack not been quite so impatient. As it was, Jack allowed his skewer to stray too close to the flame and the next moment all three of his marshmallows were on fire. He got up with a curse, waving the skewer around, but that only fuelled the flames. An ear piercing noise filled the flat as the smoke detector in the lounge went off, causing Ianto to leap up and rush to silence the alarm. Finding no other way to put out the flaming skewer, Jack unceremoniously plunged it into his half-drunk hot chocolate. A few moments later Ianto succeeded in switching off the fire alarm and blessed silence filled the flat.

Jack stared at his mug with a forlorn expression and gave the charred bits of sugar an experimental poke. Ianto did his best to stifle the laughter bubbling inside him at the sight of Jack looking so dejected.

"I messed that up too," Jack mumbled so quietly that Ianto struggled to catch his words. "I burnt the hot chocolate and wasn't there to give you a lift home and now I nearly set fire to your flat. This whole thing is a mess."

"No," Ianto chuckled as he returned to Jack's side, setting down his own skewer on the coffee table and extinguishing the flame of the gas cooker. He took Jack's hand in his and used his other one to lift Jack's chin so their eyes could meet. "It's not a mess, it's perfect."

"How could this possibly be perfect?" Jack argued, not daring to believe Ianto's words.

"Because you put an incredible amount of thought and effort into all this," Ianto explained patiently. "It's the real world; nothing ever goes absolutely according to plan. But it doesn't matter in the slightest. You're here with me, we had a conversation we really should have had quite some time ago, and most importantly, we're together."

"We are also under a mistletoe," Jack pointed out with a wink, feeling better already.

"I wondered when you would get to that." Ianto rolled his eyes with a great deal of affection.

He gave Jack's chest a push, so that he sat back down on the sofa again, and then sat down so he straddled Jack's lap. The way Jack's grin widened made it clear that he certainly approved of how things were developing. Jack snaked his hand behind Ianto's head and guided their faces closer. He stopped when their lips were mere inches apart and gave Ianto a serious look.

"Happy Christmas, Ianto."

"Happy Christmas, Jack," Ianto whispered and closed the remaining distance between them.

As their lips finally met in that first kiss, Jack had to agree with Ianto. Whatever they had was messy, different and unexpected, but it also happened to be pretty damn near perfect.


End file.
